Zitkala-Sa was born in 1876 on the Yankton Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Her father was a Sioux warrior and her mother was a white woman from Iowa. Zitkala-Sa was raised in the traditional ways of her people, but she was also sent to a Quaker boarding school when she was eight years old.
At the boarding school, Zitkala-Sa was forced to give up her Native American name and adopt an English one, Gertrude Simmons. She was also forced to learn English, wear Euro-American clothing, and convert to Christianity. Zitkala-Sa found it difficult to adjust to the boarding school, but she eventually excelled academically.
After graduating from high school, Zitkala-Sa attended the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania. At Carlisle, she studied music and became an accomplished violinist. She also began writing poetry and articles about her experiences as a Native American woman.
In 1901, Zitkala-Sa returned to the Yankton Indian Reservation and began working as a teacher. She also became involved in political activism, working to improve the lives of Native Americans. She lobbied for Native American land rights, education, and citizenship.
Zitkala-Sa also wrote extensively about her experiences as a Native American woman. Her most famous work is the autobiography "American Indian Stories" (1921), which tells the story of her childhood and her struggles to preserve her Native American identity.
Zitkala-Sa died in 1938 at the age of 62. She is remembered as a tireless advocate for Native American rights and as a gifted writer who helped to share the Native American experience with the world.